Madeleine McCann: Digging Begins In Scrubland

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 10:22am UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

:: May 8 - British Officers reportedly use a military helicopter to photograph potential excavation sites and hold a four-hour meeting with Portuguese colleagues to agree a timetable for new searches.

:: May 22 - Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says the investigation will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the coming weeks. 

:: June 2 - Portuguese police seal off an area of scrubland to the west of Praia da Luz as they prepare to examine the potential excavation site.

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School Bus Crash: Boy Airlifted To Hospital

A schoolboy is being treated for severe facial injuries after two school buses collided, injuring more than 20 passengers.

The boy was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle after the crash in Stanley, County Durham.

A spokesman for the Great North Air Ambulance Service said: "The doctor-led trauma team triaged the injured persons and a 12-year-old child was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary with serious facial injuries."

Two adults and 50 children, aged 11 to 18, were on board the buses at the time of the accident.

Walking wounded were treated at the scene

One of the drivers was trapped for a "prolonged" period inside the bus and was among the injured.

Ken Ball, Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service district commander for Derwentside, said: "When the first crew arrived they confirmed one driver was trapped on the yellow bus going up the hill, multiple casualties involved, the majority of which were walking wounded.

A bus driver was freed after a 'prolonged' effort

"The police did an excellent job along with paramedics to get them treated."

The accident happened at 8.20am on the A693 at the junction with Shield Row Lane close to the Oxhill Youth Centre in Stanley.

The pupils involved were from St Bede's at Lanchester and Tanfield School Comprehensive.

Superintendent Colin Williamson, of Durham Police, said: "There will be some disruption on the roads in this area for some time and I would ask the local community to be patient while we deal with this incident."

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Cyber Attack 'To Hit In Next Two Weeks'

Computer users are being urged to protect their machines from malware which allows hackers to steal financial data.

British investigators have been working with the FBI to trace the hackers behind ongoing attacks, and the botnet system used by the targets has been temporarily disrupted.

But the UK's National Crime Agency says people have just two weeks before the system could be functioning again, and urged people to protect their computers from an expected "powerful computer attack".

Bogachev is said to use the online monikers 'lucky12345' and 'slavik'

Between 500,000 and one million machines have so far been infected worldwide, according to court documents.

US officials have accused a Russian hacker of masterminding the scam - and prosecutors say those involved have already raked in more than $100m (£60m).

The NCA is urging people to back up important files and make sure their security software and operating system are up to date.

Two pieces of malware software known as GOZeuS and CryptoLocker are responsible for the alert.

They typically infect a computer via attachments or links in emails.

If a user clicks on GOZeuS, it silently monitors activity and tries to capture information such as bank details.

"(The links or attachments) may look like they have been sent by genuine contacts and may purport to carry invoices, voicemail messages, or any file made to look innocuous," the NCA warned.

"These emails are generated by other victims' computers, who do not realise they are infected, and are used to send mass emails creating more victims."

The Cryptolocker malware is activated if the first attack is not profitable enough.

It locks a user from their files and threatens to delete them unless a "ransom" of several hundred pounds is paid.

Some 234,000 machines were hit by Cryptolocker - bringing in $27m (£16m) in payments - in its first two months, the US Justice Department said.

Computers running Windows software are said to be most vulnerable

More than 15,500 computers in the UK are infected and "many more" are at risk, according to the NCA.

Stewart Garrick, a senior investigator with the NCA, told Sky News the threat was mainly against individuals or businesses running Windows-based computers.

Thirty-year-old Russian Evgeniy Bogachev is the alleged leader of the gang behind the attacks, FBI executive assistant director Robert Anderson told a news conference in Washington DC.

US and other agents seized servers around the world this weekend and freed 300,000 computers from the infection.

"They (the FBI) have disrupted the network and taken control of it," said Sky's Tom Cheshire.

"So when the hackers try to speak to the computer that's affected, that line of communication has been cut off.

"You now have a chance to clean up. The first thing you should do is update your operating system - especially if you're on Windows, then look to scan your computer for viruses and it should be able to find it."

For more information visit www.getsafeonline.org/nca.

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Rolf Harris Would 'Run Away From Giggling Girls'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, at Southwark Crown Court

Entertainer Rolf Harris was ''tactile'' and admired ''the lovely curves'' of a teenage girl, a court has heard.

Harris, 84, would also "run away from giggling girls" and drove one teenager ''nuts'' as he kept asking her: "When are you going to marry me?"

The details emerged from defence witnesses as the trial continues against the Australian-born singer, who is accused of indecently assaulting four women.

Joanne Charles, daughter of 1970s singer Don Charles, was asked to describe Harris by his defence barrister Sonia Woodley QC.

Ms Charles said: ''He's lovely, he's quite kind, a real softie. He's great. He's very tactile... he's a great hugger, he gives great bear hugs.''

When asked if they were ever in a sexual manner, she replied: "No, absolutely not."

Ms Charles added that as a teenager when she met Harris he would say: ''Goodness, you have such lovely curves. You are a lovely girl.''

Rolf Harris with his daughter Bindi earlier today

Ms Woodley asked her if it was in a lurid way and she replied: "No, friendly, warm way."

Ms Charles added that when she visited Harris at his home he would often ''run away from giggling girls''.

Under cross examination by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC, Ms Charles was asked what her reaction had been to the news Harris had an affair with his best friend's daughter.

She replied: ''I was saddened, shocked.'' She went on: ''It's terribly sad." She added people had affairs all the time.

Ms Wass said: ''Yes but this was with his daughter's best friend - do you not think that's different?''

Ms Charles replied: ''It is very sad but I'm not sure it is.''

Another witness, physiotherapist Anne Marie Ashford Eve, told the court Harris would ''envelop her and her father in bear hugs''.

She added: ''There was also a 'Rolfism'. He would say, 'when are you going to marry me?' It would drive me nuts. It was a joke but I found it irritating.

''It was embarrassing, but as a teenager grown-ups are embarrassing when you are a teenager.''

Rosemarie Ford, ex-presenter on TV show Generation Game, also gave evidence and told the court he was a ''total professional'' who had a "great warmth about him".

She added that in the entertainment world it was common for people to ''demonstrate affection towards each other''.

Ms Ford, married to actor Robert Lindsay, said: ''We always greet each other with hugs and kisses... someone lingering would be recognised but Rolf was always proper, it was always in an appropriate manner.''

Ms Wass declined to cross-examine her after Ms Ford told the court she knew ''nothing about his private life''.

Harris, of Bray, Berkshire, denies 12 counts of indecent assault on four women aged between seven and eight years old and 19 years old between 1968 and 1986.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court continues.

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Bowe Bergdahl: Obama Defends Taliban Exchange

Soldier's Motives Are The 'Unknown Unknown'

Updated: 3:20pm UK, Tuesday 03 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

There are many "known unknowns" when it comes to what happened to Bowe Bergdahl on June 20, 2009, and for the subsequent five years.

Donald Rumsfeld, the former US defence secretary and one of the main authors of the disastrous US war with Iraq created the opaque idiom when speaking about the fruitless search for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in 2002.

But his perorations on "known unknowns" and "unknown unknowns" could have been better suited to the enigma of Sergeant Bergdahl.

Rumsfeld's allies in the Republican party will be, and are, inevitably trying to make political capital out Barack Obama's release of five high-level Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay in return for Sgt Bergdahl.

That much we know.

The known unknown in their case is whether they will return to the Islamist group to further attacks on Western targets.

We know they were senior figures, some allegedly responsible for the killing of Shi'a during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

We can also assume that after 13 years of detention without trial they will have a cynical view of the US efforts to spread democracy worldwide.

We know that they are not going to be master bomb makers - if only because they have been locked up so long any skills they once had are now obsolete.

Qatar, which brokered the deal, the Obama administration and elements inside the Kabul government will be hoping, however, that their release and the talks about Bergdahl may be an overture in a longer talks-process that could bring some elements of the Taliban into Afghanistan's political mainstream.

The known unknowns about the real sergeant are whether he did indeed walk, or crawl, out of his observation post on the front line of Paktika Province in search of adventure or out of frustration at US policy in Afghanistan.

Was he really seen by local children asking for water and someone who spoke English?

Did he talk wistfully of walking to China, or India, before he allegedly took off?

Did he provide intelligence on US tactics once he was in the hands of the Haqqani network which held him in Pakistan for half a decade where he learned Dari and Pashto?

A young man who grew up in rural Idaho, home-schooled by an unconventional father, he might have occupied a less blindly pro-establishment landscape than some of his comrades.

But that doesn't make him a traitor or a deserter as many of his former colleagues, some of them egged on by the Republicans, have alleged.

Is it true that six soldiers lost their lives in the hunt for Bergdahl?

Some reports say the search for him was called off after eight days - all six died after the hunt was reported to have been wound down.

His alleged responsibility for the deaths is a known unknown, for now.

It's tempting to say that only Bowe Bergdahl will know why he left his post.

But in the confused mind of his tortured soul on the front line of a war, the unknown-unknown deeper motives for his actions may always remain that way.

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Pensioner 'Eaten Alive' By Dog: Women Jailed

Two women have been jailed for 12 months each after 79-year-old Clifford Clarke was "literally eaten alive" by their dog.

Hayley Sulley, 30, and Della Woods, 29, wept in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court as they were handed the sentence.

Judge Mark Brown told the women that Mr Clarke's death had been "entirely avoidable".

"Mr Clarke was literally eaten alive when large amounts of tissue were ingested by the dog and that is a very shocking, appalling and tragic event," the judge said.

"It is very fortunate that nobody else was seriously hurt because the dog was completely out of control and extremely dangerous."

Woods (left) and Sulley (right) pleaded guilty last month

The two women, who are both mothers, pleaded guilty last month to an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act of allowing a dog to enter a place where it was not allowed to be and where it attacked a person.

The court heard that the presa canario cross-breed had not been fed for at least 45 hours before the attack.

The dog, called Charlie, escaped with another of the pair's dogs from their garden in Richard Kelly Close in the Norris Green area of Liverpool in May 2013.

Prosecutor Eric Lamb said a witness described seeing both dogs run up to a house backing on to Mr Clarke's property.

Mr Lamb said: "The dogs were jumping up at the window. Charlie was foaming at the mouth.

"Both of the dogs appeared very hungry."

He said they were seen eating bird food and dirty water from a bowl containing cigarette butts.

A short time later the dogs broke into the garden of the retired hospital porter.

He had opened his back door while cooking a meal.

The court heard how the dog sank its teeth into Mr Clarke's arm and dragged the OAP around the garden as helpless neighbours looked on.

The presa canario cross-breed was similar to this dog. File image

One of his arms was effectively chewed off, while the other was severely wounded, the court heard.

Mr Clarke died of multiple injuries and blood loss.

An armed unit was called to the scene to euthanise the dog after it attacked police officers who were alerted by neighbours.

It was said to have jumped up at the 6ft wooden fence and bitten the end of an officer's rifle.

The dog had to be shot twice before it was killed.

Judge Brown said that many witnesses to the tragedy had suffered psychological trauma.

He also noted that the defendants' garden was in an unkempt state with bottles of alcohol strewn across it.

Both Sulley and Woods wrote a letter to the judge in which they expressed their shame, sadness and "genuine remorse".

The pair were banned from keeping dogs for life, and the women's other dogs have been rehomed.

The judge said the defendants were lucky to have avoided a manslaughter charge.

Since the attack new legislation has been introduced which increases the maximum sentence for fatal dog attacks from two years to 14 years in prison.

The judge said the change did not apply in this case as it could not be used retrospectively.

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Man Arrested Over 'Road Rage' Stabbing

A 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an alleged road rage incident in Cornwall.

The victim, a man in his 20s, and another motorist were involved in a minor collision on the A30 near Launceston, according to police.

There was then an altercation and the victim was stabbed in the chest.

The injured man was found on the road at around 7.30pm on Monday.

He was airlifted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and remained in a stable condition.

His injuries were not life-threatening.

The suspect, from Tiverton in Devon, was arrested in Somerset. He remains in police custody.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Officers believe the victim and suspect were involved in a minor traffic collision on the A30 involving a white BMW and a silver coloured Vauxhall Astra convertible before the altercation."

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Naked Body On Beach Mystery: New CCTV Video

Police investigating the death of man found naked and with headphones and a sock in his mouth have released CCTV video of him on the night before his body was discovered.

Officers are hoping the new footage will jog the memories of people who were in Newquay and Perranporth, Cornwall, at the same time and who may remember seeing Alan Jeal.

The 64-year-old's body was found on Perranporth beach on Tuesday February 25, 2014 by a member of the public while out walking his dog around 2pm.

He was naked apart from wearing socks and one walking shoe.

Mr Jeal, who had a set of headphones and a rolled-up sock in his mouth, had multiple injuries to his chest, head and hand.

The white Apple iPhone or iPod style headphones, with volume control, were looped around the back of the sock and were trailing out of his mouth.

Mr Jeal pictured in Marcus Hill, Newquay

There were some signs of possible drowning but it has not been confirmed as the cause of death.

Police originally thought Mr Jeal had caught the bus from Truro to Perranporth on the evening of February 24, but the latest CCTV shows him in Newquay before taking a bus to Perranporth.

He had caught a bus from the Lemon Quay, Truro, to Newquay at around 6.50pm. Previously released CCTV footage shows him waiting with three other people at a bus stop but these people have not been traced.

In the latest video, he is seen getting off a bus at Newquay bus station at 8.16pm on the Monday and walking around the town centre, before returning to the bus station at 9pm.

He then caught the 9.15pm bus to Perranporth.

Mr Jeal is also captured on CCTV in Perranporth between 10.25pm and 10.27pm.

The light blue rain coat he was seen wearing in Truro on the Monday has not been found. The navy Regatta jacket found on the beach is thought to be different to the one he was seen wearing in the CCTV images.

Mr Jeal had bought a weighted training vest and ankle weights

Some of his other belongings are still missing, including a Barclays Bank current account card, a Barclaycard credit card, a Nokia 1110i mobile phone, a third generation iPod shuffle and the rest of the clothing he was wearing.

Mr Jeal, who lived alone in Wadebridge, had recently bought a 10kg weighted training vest and 2kg ankle weights but they have not been located.

Detectives are trying to establish whether they were bought for him to wear or whether he bought them for another reason such as a gift for someone else.

Anyone with any information that could assist with the investigation is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, quoting reference 381 of 1 March 2014.

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US Pledges $1bn To Boost Military In Europe

Barack Obama has promised $1bn (£597m) to bolster its military influence in Europe amid worries of more land grabs by the Kremlin.

The US president said extra military equipment would be sent to the region in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine, and that more American troops would take part in military exercises.

"We need to make sure that the collective defence ... is robust, it is ready, it is properly equipped," Mr Obama told a news conference in Warsaw's Belweder Palace.

"Today, I'm announcing a new initiative to bolster the support of our Nato allies here in Europe.

"Under this effort, and with the support of Congress, the US will preposition more equipment in Europe."

Pro-Russian troops have forcibly taken charge in areas of Ukraine

There are worries that states on Russia's western borders could be at threat after the country took control of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Mr Obama's plan also proposes more regular naval deployments in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, right on Russia's doorstep.

No announcement was made on permanent US troop deployments in Europe but the White House said it would review the matter.

It said: "These efforts will not come at the expense of other defence priorities, such as our commitment to the Asia Pacific rebalance."

The extra $1bn will also help boost the defence capability of Western-friendly states bordering Russia, such as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. For example, through extra training for their troops.

There are fears Vladimir Putin's military could move into other countries

The European Reassurance Initiative - as the plan is called - must first be signed off by the US Congress.

Mr Obama was speaking at a joint news conference with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski at he beginning of a four-day visit to Europe.

He also urged other Nato members to do more to help the alliance's defence role, although he admitted the US had to play the biggest role.

Nato states have a target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, but many lag behind.

"Everyone has the capacity to do their fair share, to do a proportional amount to make sure we have the resources, the planning, the integration, the training in order to be effective," said Mr Obama.

The US leader's remarks come ahead of a potential meeting with Russia President Vladimir Putin at D-Day commemorations in France.

The pair have no meeting scheduled but White House officials have not ruled one out. The men have not met since the Ukraine crisis began.

"Mr Putin has a choice to make," Mr Obama said, speaking about the Russian leader reining in pro-Kremlin troops in Ukraine.

"That's what I will tell him if I see him publicly. That's what I have told him privately."

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Judge And Lawyer In Tussle After Court Row

A Florida judge's furious courtroom confrontation with a lawyer reportedly turned physical after the two took their row outside.

Stunned onlookers in the Brevard County court watched on Monday as Judge John Murphy and assistant public defender Andrew Weinstock stormed out mid-hearing.

A hallway scuffle was then picked up on courtroom audio.

Tensions boiled over after the judge asked the attorney to waive his client's right to a quick trial.

"If I had a rock, I would throw it at you right now," Judge Murphy said during the argument, which was captured on camera.

"Stop p***ing me off. Just sit down."

But Mr Weinstock refused to sit down.

Judge Murphy said: "If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your (expletive)."

Mr Weinstock replied: "Let's go right now."

The footage later shows the judge being clapped as he returns to the courtroom.

A police officer broke up the tussle, reports Orlando-based WKMG-TV.

The two men refused to press charges and no arrests were made.

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